Yamagata Shinkansen's first new vehicle in 25 years, "E8 series", begins commercial operation. The "nose" of the lead vehicle is 9 meters long, 3 meters longer than the previous "E3 series" The upper part is painted purple after Yamagata Prefecture's bird, the mandarin duck, and the line is painted with the prefecture's flower.
Each color incorporates yellow from safflower. The maximum operating speed is 300 km/h, which is 25 km faster than the E3 series.